Jets' Garrett Wilson Endorses Former Teammate Marvin Harrison Jr.
The New York Jets currently hold the 10th pick in the NFL Draft, meaning there’s a good chance they’ll be locked into one of the second-tier linemen or receivers. That doesn’t mean New York’s first-round selection won’t be a key piece of a potential Super Bowl window and an attempt at continued success. But in all likelihood, that pick won’t be Ohio State receiver Marvin Harrison Jr.
Harrison has long been projected to be the top receiving prospect in this year’s class. His floor, it seems, is the No. 4 pick.
That didn’t stop Jets receiver Garrett Wilson from singing his praises for the son of an NFL Hall of Famer.
Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. (18) gets a high five from wide receiver Garrett Wilson (5) after catching a pass during football training camp at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center in Columbus on Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2021. Ohio State Football Training Camp
© Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch via Imagn Content Services, LLC
Wilson was teammates with Harrison during the 2021 season, the year he would eventually declare for the draft and find his way to New York. Harrison’s biggest season may have been 2023, but his incredible skill set hasn’t been a secret.
“He did 18 reps at 225 [pounds] on like his second day of being in the facility,” Wilson said, per the New York Post. “I had done my test two years earlier, and they actually had to change the bar to 185 for me. It was a big discrepancy, like, ‘Oh wow, this dude is not joking around.’
“It tells you a lot about his work ethic. That’s not something you just have. You build that.”
Harrison is highly touted for his ability to separate, contort his body, and make plays at the catch point. Those are all traits worthy of the hype, but Wilson feels that a lesser tangible trait helps set him apart.
“The best way I can describe Marvin is he’s a grinder,” Wilson said. “He’s always going to be the best player on the field, but in a rare case that he wasn’t, he would be grinding the whole day after to make sure that was never the case again. That’s my favorite thing about him.”
Harrison caught 67 passes for 1,211 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2023, his second consecutive year of at least 65 catches, 1,200 yards, and 14 scores. He’s one of the best receiving prospects in recent memory for good reason. This past season, he won the Biletnikoff Award for being the best receiver in the country.
According to Wilson, it was only a matter of time before Harrison got the accolades – and soon, draft selection – to match his talent. From NFL bloodlines to the tutelage of NFL receivers playing at Ohio State, Harrison was in an incredible environment to develop.
“There was never any competition,” Wilson said. “We were just trying to drop all the knowledge possible on Marvin.”
As long as he isn’t picked by the New England Patriots with the third overall pick, Wilson can take pride in his mentorship and watch Harrison dominate cornerbacks at the next level. Pairing him with Wilson is more than a pipe dream, but the Buckeye’s pipeline of high-level NFL talents doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon.
